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Aviation budget 2025: ‘Udan’ scheme will connect 120 airports in 10 years
Union Budget 2025 is finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman's eighth consecutive budget.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is presenting her record eighth consecutive Union Budget in the Parliament today, marking the second full budget of the Modi 3.0 government, which also focuses on the aviation sector.
Under the aviation budget, as many as 120 new airports will be connected in a span of 10 years. Additionally, Bihar will get new greenfield airports along with the expansion project of the Patna airport.
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UDAN - Regional Connectivity Scheme
The finance minister noted that UDAN has enabled 1.5 crore middle-class people to meet their aspirations for speedier travel. She said that the scheme has connected 88 airports and operationalised 619 routes.
Inspired by this success, a new version of UDAN scheme will be launched to enhance regional connectivity to 120 new destinations and carry 4 crore passengers in the next 10 years. The scheme will also support helipads and smaller airports in hilly, aspirational and North-East region districts, she added.
In addition to Patna airport expansion and greenfield airports, there will also be a brownfield airport at Bihta.
Ramendra Verma, Partner and Government Consulting Leader, Grant Thornton Bharat said, "The modified UDAN scheme, connecting 120 destinations, will significantly boost regional connectivity, fostering economic growth by enhancing trade, tourism, and investment opportunities across underserved areas."
Notably, this year's Union Budget holds special lens on agriculture, uplifting rural areas, manufacturing, innovation, etc. She said that the Modi government's budget aims to work on transformative reforms.
"This government is about accelerating growth, uplift middle class. We embark on a journey to explore the potential of the country. Our aspiration for Viksit Bharat inspires us to march forward resolutely," Sitharaman said in her budget speech.
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The central government also aims at working towards the development of tourist destinations, with Sitharaman saying that as many as 50 such places will be developed in collaboration with states.
In the 2024 budget, the central government had proposed relaxation norms for the aviation sector, to make the country a hub for various facilities and fuel the growth of the transport sector.
Notably, as the finance minister presented the budget in the Parliament, opposition members raised their voices against the Centre and even staged a walkout when denied discussion on Mahakumbh.
